Akasa's Tale

   Aurora sighs quietly and shifts a bit on the large velvet cushion that makes up her seat of office. It is quite old, and somewhat lumpy – and although she’s worn an Aurora-shaped indentation into it over the years, it is still just uncomfortable enough to make her desire to be elsewhere.

   At the foot of her throne two ponies bicker back and forth over some point that, honestly, she’d stopped paying much attention to some time ago. They are dressed in the best of business attire and look very stately; though she finds the current fashion trends a bit over-stated and lacking in subtlety – but she is also decidedly old-fashioned.

   The argument before her has something to do with ‘intellectual property’; a relatively new term that was still being bandied about in the royal council - and one that she honestly did not follow completely.

   But before she drifted off into thoughts of acquiring a new pillow for the throne, she did manage to pick up a bit of the immediate problem... Apparently the pony on her left has a collection of pistons and gears that is entirely too similar to collection of pistons and gears belonging to the pony on her right. And while this seems to be a real problem for them, the problem for her is, as near as she can tell, neither set of pistons and gears actually do anything.

   The mechanisms in both cases are simple demonstrations of vague ideas and suppositions of what might be - but these two seem to be quite intent on arguing, loudly, about who the ideas and suppositions rightfully belonged to.

   And, frankly, it made her head hurt…

   Fortunately, her function here today is one of simple window dressing. As the monarch of Roanoak her reasons for taking the throne tended to center around larger problems; issues of international scale or of sweeping scope that impacted everypony. She had appointed a council of ponies who rather seemed to enjoy endless deliberations over ‘right’ and ‘wrong’, and they tended to these smaller cases for her. In fact, she rarely attends low court except when her ‘royal councilor of legal affairs’ requests it – much like today.

   He is quietly conferring with the lovely mare who makes detailed notes for him during these law-making sessions. The mare, for her part, is looking though her reading glasses at a genuinely enormous pile of ‘prior art’. She shuffles through layers of parchment as she ticks off sets of numbers and the councilor nods.

   Aurora trusts his judgment in these matters… He was a good pony – hoof picked by her specifically for precedent-setting situations like this one; he would ensure the outcome was just and that all of the parties involved were happy… She was just here to make it official.

   It was not long ago that a heated discussion like the one going on at the foot of her throne would have been over property lines for two farms, or perhaps a trade issue between a few merchants. But these are different times indeed…

   She looks across the throne room and lets her thoughts wander; the tall stained glass windows that line the hall cast a multitude of slanting shafts of light into the room and ignite motes of dust into slow motion whirls of firework hues, and she thinks back to the early days of Roanoak, when all was but settlers and small farms.

   In general back then most of Roanoak was comprised of hearty Earth ponies from the northern badlands looking for a greener future. Now, granted, there were the occasional scholarly Unicorns looking for new discoveries to write about, and in turn garner the praise of other scholarly Unicorns. And there were a few Pegasus ponies as well – but they tended to be loners looking for challenge and adventure, as is their way.

   A hoof touches her shoulder, “Empress?” a voice whispers.

   “Yes chamberlain?”

   The pony next to her bows, “Your highness, there is an urgent request from one of the Equestrian emissaries, a ‘Twilight Sparkle’. It is regarding a student at the school in Trotsdale, a student who seems to have developed a bit of a 'magical issue' as she termed it.”

   Aurora turns her head and looks at the chamberlain, “Unicorn foals often have bouts of uncontrolled magic – this is why they attend classes, to learn control. Why would this regard me?”

   He shakes his head, “No ma'am, not a Unicorn – an Alicorn. Miss Sparkle would not go into details, but has requested your presence at the library in town as soon as you are able.”

   She blinks a few times. While Alicorns were indeed rare, they are simply another possible but highly unlikely outcome of any foaling. One thing they did do though is present unique challenges for schooling and often required one-on-on tutoring, for they possess the abilities of all three of the pony tribes: Earth pony size and earth magics, Pegasus pony wings and air magics, and Unicorn pony horns and elemental magics. But they also tend to be weaker in each aspect – their greater size making them rather clumsy flyers, and their lightness of frame for flight making them fragile for farm work. And while they can eventually be quite competent with magic, they simply are not as versatile as a Unicorn Pony.

   They can also be ‘called to the crown’, a term used to denote an irresistible pull to distant lands where the they will assume the mantle of royalty, and with it gain immense responsibility, a measure of immortality, and considerable magical power.

   Mayhap this is Twlight’s concern? A 'magical issue'? It would be unprecedented for one to be called so young… Regardless, she sees a chance to escape the dreadful bore of court and takes advantage of it. “I see. Since their arrival I have never seen the Equestrian emissaries to be overly demonstrative, so I will infer that there is a good reason for this request…”

   She turns to her legal councilor, “Phoenix, I will leave the righting of this situation in your capable hooves for I am needed elsewhere,” and then nods to the bickering ponies before her as she rises from the cushion.

   One of the two ponies looks shocked, “But, your highness, our grievance here today is not a matter to be settled by anyone other than your illustrious self. We simply will not take the ruling of the councilor as the final word on this iss..”

   Aurora is very large as far as pony-folk go, the average pony coming only to her chest height-wise, and she uses her imposing stature as she turns to face the pony, wings slightly unfurled, to silence him.

   “Phoenix was appointed by me specifically for his expertise in matters such as these. It would be wise of you to find his ruling to your liking - despite your feelings otherwise.”

   Even in these modern times of steam and electricity, the Voice of the Empress has the desired effect; instantly quelling the argument with bent knee and bowed head.

   Aurora carefully settles her wings back along her sides, “Now, chamberlain, I shall respond to this urgent summons from Miss Sparkle. I will depart within the hour, please see to it that she is informed.”

   “Of course milady Aurora.”